Abstract
ObjectiveAdaptation to social life changes after migration may be beneficial or detrimental to migrants’ oral health outcomes and related behaviors. This systematic review aims to synthesize the scientific literature on the impact of social support on immigrants’ and ethnic minorities’ oral health status and/or behaviors.MethodsA comprehensive electronic search, up to November 2018, was conducted using five electronic databases. We included cross-sectional and longitudinal quantitative studies that examine associations between social support and oral health outcomes among immigrants and ethnic minorities. Study selection, data extraction, and risk of bias assessment were completed in duplicate and the Newcastle-Ottawa checklist was used to appraise the methodological quality of the quantitative studies.ResultsA total of 26 studies met the eligibility criteria. Included studies examined multiple oral health outcomes such as dental care utilization, oral health behaviors, oral health problems, self-rated oral health, oral health knowledge, and oral health-related quality of life among immigrants and ethnic minorities. The social support level is assessed either by social support indicators or by adapting certain scales. Overall, social support was found to be positively associated with dental care utilization, number of carious teeth, periodontal disease, oral health behaviors, oral health knowledge, oral health-related quality of life, and self-rated oral health.ConclusionAlthough immigrants and ethnic minorities encounter several challenges after migration to a new country that could affect their oral health, social support from their surrounding environment in the form of structural or functional support plays an important role in improving their oral health outcomes.
Highlights
Post-migration challenges, including language and cultural barriers, housing, employment, poverty, and lack of medical and dental insurance, may affect immigrants’ and ethnic minorities’ general and oral health [1, 2, 3]
Social support was found to be positively associated with dental care utilization, number of carious teeth, periodontal disease, oral health behaviors, oral health knowledge, oral health-related quality of life, and self-rated oral health
Immigrants and ethnic minorities encounter several challenges after migration to a new country that could affect their oral health, social support from their surrounding environment in the form of structural or functional support plays an important role in improving their oral health outcomes
Summary
Post-migration challenges, including language and cultural barriers, housing, employment, poverty, and lack of medical and dental insurance, may affect immigrants’ and ethnic minorities’ general and oral health [1, 2, 3]. The level of social support within the host country plays a crucial role in general and oral health outcomes among ethnic minorities. Migration is a social determinant of health including oral health [4]. A higher level of dental diseases and underutilization of dental care have been reported among immigrants as compared to their native-born counterparts [5, 6], specially among those who had lived in the host country for less than 10 years [7, 8]. Disparities in oral health among immigrants is a serious public health matter that should not be neglected
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